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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · calf · fall · last · game · jam · cold · stem

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The water is too ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — to come from
  5. lean — thin
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. last — to go on
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — finally
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. last — final
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. lean — to bend
  24. cold — not warm

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com